Conventional approaches to performing yield estimates for a design are very cumbersome, employing many types and categories of redundant circuit parameters to provide rough estimates. For example, many different values and types of “width” parameters may be employed to derive estimates of yield for a given circuit for a fabrication facility. The as-designed parameters are then scored relative to these parameters to provide a yield estimate for the circuit design. Using this large number of parameters is basically a crutch because of the present inability to accurately predict the actual as-manufactured features of the product. As a result, the existing approach provides a layer of complexity and uncertainty that could affect the efficiency, effectiveness, and accuracy of any resulting yield estimates.